'I start to dey bed wet again for night months afta my marriage'

Among small pikin, we fit begin tok about bed wetting. But wen adult of over 30 years old still dey wet im bed, e don become disease wey pipo sabi as enuresis.

Most pipo wey dey suffer from dis sickness dey fear to tok about di matta.

Even if dem tell specialist as dem begin dey look for solution to dia problem, dem prefer make dem still keep am as secret. But enuresis na problem wey pipo dey quick notice, even if you dey try hide am.

“I dey ashamed to dey look my wife wen she begin wash di bedsheet for morning. E dey painful,” Linus tok (no be im real name), 44 years old, computer engineer for Cotonou, Benin.

Wetin be enuresis?

Enuresis na involuntary release of urine wey dey happen wen pesin dey sleep. Dis na di disorder of control of di bladder sphincters for some pipo.

“Di bad tin be say sometimes I dey endure dis during di day too,” di engineer tok.

Im tok say dis don negatively affect im job, since e no dey allow am concentrate. Becos e dey avoid make im colleague wey sabi im sickness dey begin look am for work, e dey siddon for house to work.

Ontop phone call, di young man get difficulty to begin explain to BBC Africa about im situation wey dey sometimes cos am to stay for house all day unless im get something special to do for office. “E affect my relationship, but fortunately I get understanding and caring wife,” e tok.

E describe am as “tremendous” opportunity, wey some couples no get becos many couples don divorce.

Im say e no even predict dis illness. E stop to dey bed wet di bed wen im dey age 3 years old.

“I start to dey wet di bed again, especially for night, months afta we marry. I no fit really explain wetin dey cos am,” e tok, however, im doctor don tell am say na stress from work. Since im bladder no get complications.

Factor wey dey favor enuresis

Physical and psychological factors fit cause enuresis in adults.

Type 2 diabetes or urinary infection still fit be di cause of dis disease, according to Doctor Anne-Marie Gaoussou, Urologist for Cotonou.

E fit be accidental according to experts. Inebriation, dreamlike state and smoking fit still cause dis medical condition.

But according to di urologist, dis “urinary incontinence” as di International Continence Society (ICS) dey call am, e fit be di cause of anxiety, stress, depression, fear or behavioral disorders.

“Based on my own case, na wen I get presentation to make and I ask my audience for dia reaction e dey happun to me,” Dis enuretic tok say im no get medical history wey fit justify wetin im dey suffer.

Nocturnal polyuria fit be di cause of enuresis, wey be di excessive production of urine for night.

Almost absent social life

Pipo wey dey suffer from enuresis dey afraid to share dia situation wit odas, especially dia loved ones.

Di way pipo dey begin look dem and fear say sometin bad fit happun to dem, dey make dem begin distance demselves from di society, speciality Dr Gaoussou explain say im dey get all dis cases.

“We don try in vain to settle matta for many couples cases wia one partner dey suffer from dis sickness. Most of di time, dis dey lead to divorces and separations,” di urologist wey say effective treatments dey to overcome enuresis.

Linus confidently say e no get notin to worry about im relationship. E dey owe dis exception to im wife.

E no fit explain im wife patience in di face of wetin e dey call dark moments for dia life. “She be di one wey dey encourage me to respect di recommendation wey dem give me for treatments,” e tok.

In Linus case, apart from playing tennis on Saturdays wit im cousin wey don become im best friend, di rest of im life e dey spend am between work and home. Wen e wan travel, di engineer tok say, e dey carry adult diapers so e no go dey surprise among pipo.

Moreover, e dey rarely travel, go out wit im friends or stay wit relative or oda family members. E dey prefer to stay for house wia im wife dey take care good care of am.

“Fortunately, e don dey become rare for dis to happun to me during di day. Dis na becos of di treatments,” e tok. And im add: “I still dey control di situation for night.”

But im dey stand up go piss for night to avoid bed wetting, wey mean say e no dey sleep wella for night. E explain say im wife dey also wake am up sometimes wen e no fit wake on im own or wen e don forget imself for sleep.

“Some nights dey wey she go wake me up late, becos I don already wet di bed,” e dey regret, as im tok say im dey see di disappointment for im wife face during dat moment, despite all di courage she still dey bear dia situation.

Linus no wan make we follow im wife tok. “She no go agree tok to you,” e tok.

But im no get any doubt say dis too go pass: “I tink I go get time to fully enjoy my life at di end of my treatment,” e tok, wit hope for im face.

Enuresis in adults dey treatable?

Miracle treatment no dey for dis disease. According to urologists, na good lifestyle fit help treat enuresis. Doctors insist on behavioral treatments to cure di disease.

You must drink sensibly and limit excessive liquid consumption. Likewise, avoid coffee and carbonated drinks. Dem dey contribute to bladder irritation wey sometimes dey cause bedwetting.

For Linus, “e no dey easy to deprive yourself of certain tins wey you dey used to”, as im dey refer to all dia deprivation wey dem recommend for im cure to dis sickness.

In dis treatments link to behavior, we must also consider di “wake-up-wee” wey some doctors advise dia patients, especially for night wen dem feel di first drop of urine for dia body. E get alerter wey go off wen you begin dey piss.

Di doctor fit also prescribe desmopressin for dia patient if behavioral treatments no fit produce convincing results.

Na medicine wey dey help block di secretion of urine during di night. But e dey less effective dan di “wake-up-wee”, since relapse fit dey high wit dis medication.

Also, oda urologists don advise to combine di two treatment methods wey dey give dem satisfactory results and avoid relapses.

Also antispasmodic medications dey wey fit reduce bladder contraction if dis na di cause of enuresis.

Anoda recommendation be say method to cure bedwetting na to practice Kegel. Na exercise wey dey strengthen di pelvic floor muscles and for most cases e dey result in complete healing.

Enuresis, according to many experts, dem consider am as “disease of shame” wey dey cause most patients to lose self-esteem and become isolated from society.

E dey much more easy to notice for men dan women. Loss of urine dey present in women wen dem dey suffer from obstetric fistula.